Tuesday, 19 May 2009

Significant Weather Media Release

Flooding Threat For Northeast NSW

Residents in northeast NSW are being urged to prepare for heavy rain and flooding as a weather event unfolds later Wednesday through to Friday. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Severe Weather Warning and Flood Watch for the area.

The Bureau of Meteorology's Regional Director in NSW, Mr Barry Hanstrum said today:

"A developing low pressure system has the potential to bring severe weather with torrential rain and flooding, damaging winds and coastal erosion all possible. The weather is expected to deteriorate from Wednesday onwards"

"Our main concern is flooding in the Northern Rivers region and adjacent parts of the Mid North Coast including communities at Lismore, the Lower Tweed and Richmond Rivers and Coffs Harbour. It's too early to pin down exactly where the worst weather conditions will be, but I urge people to maintain a close watch on the latest forecasts and warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology." he added

The NSW State Emergency Service's Director General Murray Kear said that the SES has been in close consultation with the Bureau and has been planning and preparing its support for the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast Communities over the past 24 hours. Mr Kear said that although the SES is prepared and ready to respond, there are many things that the public can do now to help protect their property if the floods and severe storms do eventuate. ‘People should check to ensure that their roof gutters and down pipes are clear to help prevent flooding into their roof spaces. He added that they should also check that stormwater drains in and around their property are clear to assist run-off and to look at the placement of sandbags and other flood mitigation options they might have if they have experienced flooding in the past.

‘But even more importantly, people should always understand the potential life threatening nature of floodwaters as they can be very powerful, run fast and deep and contain hidden debris. NSW SES strongly advises that people should not drive, ride or walk through floodwater, as entering floodwater has proven to be the greatest killer in floods’, Mr Kear said.

‘There are many other things that people can do to help themselves, and these can be accessed on the SES Website’, he added.

For more information:

• Latest Warnings
• Latest NSW Forecasts
• Forecast Maps: Rainfall | Wind
• SES Floodsafe Information
• About East Coast Lows
• Composite Radar image
• Latest Rainfall Map
• Latest Observations

For further information, the media should contact the NSW Bureau's 24 hour media line.